Market Research Paid Survey

Brands and companies do market research to get feedback and understand consumers’ reactions towards their product or service. In exchange for the time and honest thoughts on a product or service, market research companies reward survey respondents for participating in research studies as a token of appreciation. Generally, surveys that involve rewards or incentives are known as paid surveys.

A survey panel is a group of registered respondents who are willing to participate in surveys or customer feedback sessions. It's also known as a research panel or research community. Some of the common terms used in the industry are “online survey panels”, “market research company”, “survey respondent” and “panelist”.

Online survey panels/community - An online community of registered respondents who have expressed willingness to participate in surveys and/or customer feedback sessions.

Market Research Company - The company that conducts market research studies. Some market research companies own and operate their survey panels too, such as Nielsen and Ipsos.

Survey Respondent / Survey Participant - Survey taker who answers to surveys and share their opinions about the research topic

Panelist - A survey respondent within a survey panel. Survey respondents become a "panelist" by completing a profiling questionnaire from the survey panels. The data collected may include demographics, lifestyle characteristics and media habits which provides a basis for future survey participation.

The biggest benefit gained from joining a survey panel is having access to more survey-taking opportunities that allow you to earn more money via paid surveys. Many research companies utilize digital wallet such as PayPal to transfer cash rewards to their respondents. Besides cash, there are other types of rewards such as vouchers, e-vouchers, gift cards and many more. Other than earning extra money, online panel members also gained non-monetary benefits such as acquiring new knowledge and trying new products.

How much you are rewarded depends on the length of the research, its complexity and the targeted profile of the research. It could range from few cents to hundreds of dollars. The reward for completing the research survey is normally stated in advance so you can decide whether to participate or not. The rewards are delivered to you by the respective survey panel through their system.